Hi Ladies,
I can not find where Ihave to vote on either of those links, can someone please tell me where it is on the site so i can quickly vote.
Thanks
Tam:redface:
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Hi Ladies,
I can not find where Ihave to vote on either of those links, can someone please tell me where it is on the site so i can quickly vote.
Thanks
Tam:redface:
When you click on the second link Sara provided, scroll to the right hand side, there is a box, it is not really standing out, took me two go to find...good luck hun, but more voting on our side is desperately needed.....
I really can not find that poll, the only one I can see is in regards to the railcorp employees.
Sorry to be a pain in the you know what, is it down further? I have to sneak in and vote whilst no-one is at my desk.
Tam
Ah, I think you missed the chance, they must have daily vote, yes, that's now changed to railcorp stuff....pity
Bugga missed the train so to speak lol.
Has anyone else had any news with their correspondence etc??
Are we signing or filling in a petition to send of, if so who is doing it?
Tam
Better get back to work now :-(
I got a reply to my E-mail today from my local (Labour) MP Greg Combet. It is fairly neutral really, but I suppose at least I got a reply :) Lets hope that the Rudd government really is committed to retaining the Safety Net!!
Here it is:
Dear Mrs ,
Thank you for your correspondence concerning rumoured changes to the Medicare Safety Net for IVF funding.
I am aware that a number of rumours are circulating about Budget Day, and, as you can appreciate, the Government is not going to be drawn into speculation on the Budget.
It is important to understand that the Government recognises that, in the current economic climate, many families are under significant pressure.
For that reason, the Rudd Government is committed to retaining the Medicare Safety Net.
Infertility is a common, devastating condition. It causes enormous heartache to those so affected. I understand that treatment is often invasive and is frequently stressful, time consuming and expensive. Thank you for contacting me in relation to this issue, and best wishes for the future with your new child.
Yours sincerely,
Hon Greg Combet AM MP
Megsmum - yours is one of the better replies so far i reckon. Greg Combet or whoever writes for him didn't do as bad as some of the others.
BG - sadly i think that you are 110% right about Obs fees and the safety net & baby bonus.
I agree i think your reply is pretty good megsmum
I had a phone call from a MP secretary who was, lets say a little patronizing and told me to leave this for the them to deal with on my behalf and get back to what i should be concentrating on??????
she asked where i had gotten my information as they knew nothing about it!........ um don’t you read the paper?
Also told me that if i am working then why am i worried as i could then afford treatment, even if means tested!
how freakin rude!!! i'd have opened a can of verbal woop ass on her big time! how RUDE of her to comment on your financial circumstances! grrrrrrrrrrrrrr:
i'd be sennding another nasty email off about his secretary...
TBH i didnt really take it all in - i had just walked through the door, had a blazing head ache and DH started cooking without getting everything ready first, not to mention that i have been living on a few hours sleep a night! It was untill the last few comments that i thought hang on are you trying to disagree with my cause? or fob it off? as i hung up the reciever it all clicked!
sounds like a judgemental and rather nasty biatch!
Mmm, yes, like BG said, another email to them for sure. Maybe ask her how do you leave it up to them to deal with on your behalf when they knew nothing about it?? Sounds like they are working hard for their electorate :rolleyes::
TBH they are not in my area but the suburb nest to me so i thought i would just send it to then anyway so i cant even avoid giving them my vote!:
Loula, I think my reply is pretty good too compared to what that woman said to you :o What a ruddy nasty piece of work she must be! I would have said a few things to her that I can't post here without getting kicked off the boards!! That really gets up my nose these people that think they can judge you without being in your shoes :wall: and to make comment on your financial situation, what business is it of hers?? And they obviously have their finger on the local pulse don't they - not! :rolleyes:
Definitely agree with BG and nic, send them another E-mail!
this has made me mad! i think it should be covered by medicare from the start just like any other TREATMENT for an illness, in this case INFERTILITY! its NOT like u just walk in there and get ivf coz you want a designer baby or couldnt be stuffed TTC naturally its a treatment just like chemo for cancer, you get ivf to treat infertility, its really awful. you get homebirth covered by medicare in some states now, which is an entirely optional choice yet women forced to have AC are treated like its a choice when in most cases its the only way to be treated its just not fair.
Yeh, something like that! OMG, Lou! I can't believe someone said any of that. WTF. I am gobsmacked at all her dumb comments. You should call her and ask her what exactly you should be concentrating on...:
I need a dollar for all the dumb@rse people out there who think they know about TTC and fertility.
I'm going away to calm down now...
I agree too i think your reply is good megsmum, it sounded very genuine.
Lou - I cant believe what a self centred you know what would say that to you, to questions your finances and why you are going through IVF is just plain nasty. As they say karma will come around.
Do you think people are trying to sweep this under the carpet as they keep saying that they dont know anything about it. Well obviously they dont listen to the news or radio.
At least we have one thing going for us all now, the stimulus is on its way so that will be a little help, god knows it will help me.
Take care ladies hope you are all well.
Tam
:p Just letting you know that my article was published in my local newspaper this week. I wonder what response I will have to it.
I shall let you all know.
Hope everyone is well.
Timtam - that is great. Do you know if it is availabe to read online?
Hi, I had a look but can not find it. I will keep searching and let you know.
Tam
Morning Ladies,
I have had a response from my local MP today, see below:- Also my comment in the local paper wasnt available online, I do have a PDF copy if anyone is interested in it.
Dear Tammy
Thank you for your email on March 25 in relation to the government?s decision to consider stopping subsidies for cancer and IVF patients.
As we need to seek information from the health department to enable a considered reply to be prepared, it is not clear how long it may take to receive this information, but please be assured we will get back to you once the required information comes to hand.
If you have not received further correspondence from this office in the near future regarding your concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Kristy Spena
Office of The Hon. Bruce Billson MP
Has anyone else heard anything else?? It has been quiet for the last couple of weeks regarding this.
I haven't heard anything else - but the Age ran a front page story (I think on Sunday) - it was rather factual and unbiased (and, thankfully, not inflammatory) - mainly used 1 woman's journey to bring up the debate. I've been trying to remember to check the Editorial/Letter pages since to see if they are publishing any reader replies - haven't seen any to date. It is clearly an issue that is up for debate in Parliament - I just can't figure out when we will know what they are doing with it.
Hmmm does sound rather quiet, hopefully it will be in our favour. More and more people know about the issue now that we have been emailing/writing/ringing people so hopefully something will be done about it. My letters/emails are not just pointing at IVF because I think Cancer patients too should react the way we are. I just hope and pray that they do not stop the subsidies with Medicare just leave it the way it is.
On a better note, I finally told my Mum and Step Dad about my hubby and I going down the IVF track (long story why I hadn't told them but I feel better now) Mum told me that her cousins children who will be at least 35 now (they are twins a male and a female) were actually IVF babies. At least they know now and they were very interested and made me feel at ease they want to know more themselves.
Thanks Buliej I will have a look at the Age website and see if I can find that story I don't normally read that paper.
Lets hope it will all work out positive for all of us in the end. :-)
P.S Sending off the paperwork next week to finally start our first lot of treatments fingers crossed for me.
:p
not possible sorry hun - the first IVF baby in the world turned 30 last year, the first in Australia is currently 28 (and living not too far from me - we grew up together) - your cousin's may have been conceived with help to get their mum to ovulate or something, but the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, turned 30 last year:
Mum told me that her cousins children who will be at least 35 now (they are twins a male and a female) were actually IVF babies.
just on the safety net stuff, the station i work for ran something else touching on it yesterday, highlighting it through one woman's IVF journey etc...so at least it's getting coverage
Howdy,
briggsy's girl you are right, My mum didnt tell me exactly how they were conceived but would be what you said and mind you people didnt really speak about anything like that even 30 years ago.
Hope everyone is well, its a lovely day outside wish I was outside than inside working, oh well got to earn a living as they say.
Tam
i only know the timing cos i grew up with the first Aussie IVF kidlet living across the road and she was only about a year younger than the first UK babe (and being that we were same age and i'm not 35 yet... lol)
Howdy Ladies,
I had a response to my letter in the local paper this week. Another local agreed with my comments and also noted that we all now have to have police checks which is riduclous its not like we are going to do anything to our kids for christ sake, we are not going through this effort to abuse our children. Its stupid to me.
Have a nice weekend all. :-)
Tam
TimTam - don't get me started on the police checks....AGH! When I think about how much we all want these babies and what we do to make sure we have the best chances, it just :wall::wall:.
I saw another thread about "which is worse while pregnant - smoking pot or drinking" - the ask-er wasn't the do-er but seeking the facts because a friend of her who is pregnant does both...and this query wasn't posed because the do-er wanted to stop, only because the ask-er was intellectually curious (I can totally understand the curious part - I like answers to everything!). All I could think is - and I have to get a police check and this pregnant lady gets to do shots and smoke pot while pregnant. WTF? this is just outrageous.
If IVF-ers/AC-ers have to have checks, then why not maintain a central database in the hospitals so that any pregnant woman can be checked and if there is an issue, take the baby away???? because that's what they are in effect doing to IVF-ers (requiring a police check before allowing us the ability to "go home" with a baby).
I keep meaning to order that police check because I don't want to be denied cycles when I'm up for the next because I forgot or because they have such a backlog.
Morning Ladies,
Any news in the budget??? I cant find anything online so I am hoping that there will be now cuts for for the subsidy for IVF patients. Im really crossing my fingers on this.
Tam
Haven't heard anything but also haven't had time to look for anything either.
Ive just been interviewed for an article in our local paper (The West Australian) about IVF and the impact the changes to IVF funding would have. Should be in the paper in the next day or two.
Hopefully it helps put pressure on the government to scrap the cuts.
Does anyone know what day the budget comes out???
I think the budget comes out next week. I would imagine the decision has been made or is very close to being made. Please send a link to the article when it comes out if you can.
Just found out the budget comes out on Tuesday...
Will definitely post a copy of the article when it comes out
Girls, I am having a really bad feeling about this - today the paper is full of "Robin Hood Budget" information and saying that there will be cuts to health spending. It could even happen that we're losing the 30% rebate on health insurance (that would definitely be better than losing the Safety Net but I think it may come on top of it).
The paper said they expect negative announcements being leaked before the Budget comes out so that only the good news is left when it actually comes out, so I think we can expect the news very soon.
Sara
DH & I already know we are going to be completely scr*wed by this budget. It makes me so angry - we give, give, give and get very little and now the little that we get is going to be gone. This is why I've signed up to take the citizenship test - I need to be able to vote - complaining is not productive.
But you know - who are you going to be voting for? I don't think we would be better off under any other government. But agree with you, I'll do the same, I'd really like to have my say.
Sara - that's a fair point - but like you said, at least I want a say - I live here, work here, pay taxes, and this is our home ("for good...for now" we say, but I don't think DH will every agree to leave his beloved Oz and I'm happy here too). There's no way of knowing what the other side would have done - they can talk about what they would have done all they want, but really, it's just talk isn't it. It is just such a bummer...I do hope that we all start pushing and pushing our FS and clinics to keep up with global best practices so that when we do pay the full amount out of our own pockets, we get THE best...not what's easiest for them or "good enough" but THE best.
Its just so frustrating though, cutting obstetrician and IVF from the safety net is NOT GOING TO HELP! Do they not understand that people paying for Obstetricians, would otherwise go to the public system, where the government would have to pay anyway? And IVF patients will become more likely to transfer more than one or two embryos because they cant afford subsequent cycles - therefore increasing the chance of multiples, who surprise surprise, are a financial burden on the public system. It's like these people have no brains.
They just handed out a 42 billion dollar "stimulus package", whereas the safety net is only 300 million dollars a year. Is anyone else noticing that these figures dont add up???
Bec - all great points - it makes it seem like it is all about appearances. They don't seem to care about the true impact of these changes - only that on the surface it looks good (to some). Making the healthcare system here more like the State's is such a big mistake - I really hope this isn't the start (I'm American, I know what the State's healthcare system is like - horrendous)